I don;t know that I would call this "old fashioned" but I have made it a couple of times in the last few minths and it is outstanding. Be sure to finely mince the candied ginger... if the chunks are too big they are a little strange looking - sort of like a gummy worm LOLOLOL! That said, the flavor is fantastic

Gingerbread Cake

Ingredients
⢠Softened unsalted butter, as needed
⢠1 cup vegetable oil, like soy, peanut, or corn
⢠1 cup sugar
⢠1 cup unsulphured molasses
⢠1 to 2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
⢠2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten with a fork
⢠3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
⢠1 tablespoon ground ginger
⢠2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
⢠1 teaspoon fine salt
⢠1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
⢠1 cup water
⢠1 tablespoon baking soda
⢠Serving suggestions: Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Directions
Lightly butter a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment or wax paper. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, molasses, and crystallized ginger. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth.
In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Whisk the molasses mixture into the flour mixture until evenly combined.
In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. Whisk the hot water into the batter until just combined. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake in the center of the oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack. Cut into squares and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Here's my favorite.

Laurie ColwinâÂÂs Gingerbread

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses, or better, Steen's pure cane syrup
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TB ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp lemon brandy
1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Cream one stick [1/4 pound] of sweet [unsalted] butter with 1/2 cup of light or dark brown sugar. Beat until fluffy and add 1/2 cup of molasses or cane syrup.

2. Beat in two eggs.

3. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and one very generous tablespoon of ground ginger (this can be adjusted to taste, but I like it very gingery). Add one teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves and 1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice.

4. Add two teaspoons of lemon brandy. If you donâÂÂt have any, use plain vanilla extract. Lemon extract will not do. Then add 1/2 cup of buttermilk (or milk with a little yogurt beaten into it) and turn batter into a buttered tin.
(I use a 9 x 2 inch pan.)

5. Bake at 350ð [F.] for between twenty and thirty minutes (check after twenty minutes have passed). Test with a broom straw, and cool on a rack.

Here's my grandmother's recipe. It's pretty good.

Nana Steen's Gingerbread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease 8x8 pan

1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour milk (1/2 cup milk, 1/2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice) buttermilk will work, too.
1 tsp soda in sour milk
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
2 Tbs melted butter

Melt butter, let cool

Beat sugar and egg together, sift flour and spices together. Mix sour milk and soda, add molasses. Mix dry and liquid ingredients alternately to melted butter until blended.

Bake in a greased pan for about 1 hour.

My grandmother didn't work from recipes, but my mother managed to get it down in writing before her mother died back in the 50's.

Thanks to you all for taking the time to help me. I will dig around my cupboards and see how many ingredients I have for the recipes posted. The diced crystallized ginger sounds great. I've never heard of lemon brandy but I suppose I could sub plain brandy in a pinch?? I do remember sour milk as an ingredient in my grandmother's gingerbread recipe.

Merry Christmas and thanks again. This forum is a wonderful gift.

seagrass

Seagrass, lemon brandy is what Laurie Colwin recommends making for the gingerbread. You steep strips of lemon peel in brandy for a week or so. Plain brandy is a fine substitute. (She had a thing against lemon extract.)